Improvement in wagon-tongue supports



l, OENLER. Wagon-Tongue Supports.

' Patented Oct. 20,1874.

fig minim n WITNESSES W ATTORNEYS.

m: MIC CU. PHOYO -UTM.3S ll H m PMCFJLY,

UNITED STATES PATENT Onrron.

JOSEPH OEHLER, OF LA FAYETTE, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN WAGON-TONGUE SUPPORTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 56,099, dated October 20, 1874 application filed August 15, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J O SEPH OEHLER, of La Fayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Wagon; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,forminga part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal, and Fig. 2 a vertical transverse, section. Fig. 3 is top view.

The invention will first be fully described, and then pointed out in the claim.

In the drawing, A represents the pole; B, the hounds O, the front axle; D, the kingbolt supportin g-piece,and E the bolster or swaybar swinging thereon. The end of pole A is tapering, and provided with rear extending side pieces A, attached firmly, by bands and cross-bolts thereto, by which a fork shaped pole-end and a stronger connection of pole and hounds may be produced, and the front part of the pole constructed considerably lighter. A center-piece, B is interposed between the front part of the hounds, and projects, by a tongue-extension, into the forked pole-end, the pole being pivoted thereto and to the bounds. The center-piece B is attached, by strengthening cross-bolts and stiffening top and bottom plates, to the hounds, for resisting fully the strain exerted thereon. A suitable bandspring, F, is bolted to the rear end of centerpiece B, cushioned in a supporting-band, a,

of the same, and extended, in forward direction, beyond the hounds, to support the pole by sliding in a guide-plate, b, and balancing the same completely, without preventing the ready swinging back of the same, in upward direction, toward the body of the wagon. The weight of the pole is thus-entirely taken off the horses, while the efl'ectiveness,flexible motion, and strength of the pole are not impaired. Should it be desirable to prevent the pole from swinging, in either or both directions, on the hound-pivot, their top and bottom fasteningplates, attached across the forked end of the same, produce the stiff and rigid connection with the bounds.

The doubletree G is pivoted to a central bolt, (1, of the center-piece B, which is furthermore firmly connected and strengthened by a longitudinal bar, Z, extending back to the under side of'the front axle G, and being fastened thereto. The houndsB are either bent of one piece of steamed wood, or curved and connected, at their rear part, by an interlocking and fastening joint, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3 or straight hounds, with a straight lateral wear-piece, may be used, as desired.

What I do claim is- The combination of the centerpiece A, at- I tached to the hounds, with a longitudinal brace attached to the front axle, as specified.

JOSEPH OEHLER. Witnesses:

WILLIAM G. SCHWEGLER, HARVEY W. RAINEY. 

